The growing of plants indoors has been long practiced, and much equipment, such as stands, trays, full spectrum lights, etc., and techniques are commercially available. Most of this equipment is quite efficient for indoor growing but is bulky and expensive. Even the most compact system may cost a few hundred dollars. For those with limited space, e.g., apartment dwellers, and/or limited resources, e.g., elementary schools, such equipment and systems are not feasibly acquired. Thus, a vexatious problem, largely unattended by the prior art, is the lack of practical, compact and inexpensive methods, techniques and equipment for indoor horticulture.
Key to indoor horticulture is, of course, the use of lamps. There are many known designs for lamps, that may be suitable for indoor horticultural use. See, for example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 63,126 issued to Toothaker; U.S. Pat. No. 1,348,949 issued to Johansson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,865 issued to Sonneman; and U.S. Design Pat. No. 328,361 issued to Paproski. Other patents have described lighting systems specific for horticultural use. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,145 issued to Antkowiak and U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,294 issue to Poot, Jr.
Still other patents have described lighting which includes a means for raising and lowering the lamp. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 846,563 issued to Hanwell; U.S. Pat. No. 1,348,949 issued to Johansson; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,717 issued to Barrett.
Some patents have been directed to various lamp shade designs. See, for example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 103,928 issued to Read, Jr.; U.S. Design Pat. No. 86,987 issued to Laws; and U.S. Pat. No. 531,809 issued to Schafer.
Some patents have addressed specific techniques for indoor growing environments. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 262,379 issued to Dean; U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,776 issued to Collins; U.S. Pat. No. 2,993,300 issued to Sawyer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,682 issued to Browne; U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,054 issued to Ware; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,166 issued to Williams.
Complete indoor horticultural systems are commercially available from, e.g., Grower's Supply Company, Ann Arbor, Mich. Guidance for building a growing environment is also available from educational sources such as Bottle Biology Notes published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Co. of Dubuque, Iowa.
Notwithstanding the many known designs for lamps, lightings systems, lamp shades and indoor planters and growing environments, the art has still not adequately responded to date with the introduction of a compact, inexpensive system suitable for those with limited space and budgets.